Zika virus a trending topic on social media platforms

NEW YORK Feb 3 (Reuters) - The Zika virus was a trending
topic on several social media platforms on Wednesday, with users
expressing concern over travel plans.

Zika was trending on Facebook in the early afternoon, with
100,000 users discussing it. According to social analytics firm
Zoomph, there were 50 tweets per minute on Zika, with top
related hashtags that included #salud, the Spanish word for
health, and #who, referring to the World Health Organization.

The mosquito-borne virus, which has been linked to a rise in
severe birth defects in Brazil, is rapidly spreading in the
Americas, and WHO has declared an international health emergency
over Zika.

According to Google, the Texas cities of Garland, Dallas and
Grapevine topped the list for Zika searches in the past 48
hours. The first known case of Zika transmission in the United
States during the current outbreak was reported in Texas on
Tuesday.

The countries generating the most searches for Zika in the
last day were Venezuela, Mexico and the Dominican Republic,
according to Google. It was also a trending topic on Yik Yak, a
location-based mobile app popular with millennials.

On Twitter, users complained that the virus could crimp
travel plans, particularly for spring break.

The study abroad office of Wayne State University
(@StudyAbroad_WSU), tweeted that students should stay on top of
travel notices from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.

The report from Texas that the case there was contracted
through sex was not missed on Twitter. Proctor Pyrex
(@GoldLabel__) tweeted that people would start checking
passports before having intercourse.
(Additional reporting by Gina Cherelus in New York)